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SF 532 
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TO THE PUBLIC GENERALLY; 



AX1> TO THOSE WHO AKE OH WISH TO I5E 



Eiigao'cd ill the LucratiYc Business 



BEE CULTUHE, 



I SJ-liMIT, FOR THKIK 1'EIM.SAL, 



Tlais Little "Vol-ame. 



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INTRODUCTION. 



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After many years of experimoiital trial with the }ionoy bee in ma- 
ny of the difterent kinds of Patent Hives, and readini; many of the 
reliable authors, who liave written on this subject, I am satisfied that 
I understand the several minutitip, necessary to a more successful 
system of bee culture than is practiced by most bee raisers at the 
present time. It is not my object in this w ork, to give a lengthy 
treatise on the natural habits of tlie lioney bee, oi- discuss at gi-eat 
length many of the contlcting theories pertaining to the so-called 
mysteries of the bee, but to merely touch upon a few facts that have 
been or should be familiar with every ])crs>in who is the owner of a 
iew good swarms, andoft'er such suggestions that will, if jn-acticcd, 
enable those who will cai'ry them out, to reap a much greater harvest 
of honey than usual. If 1 succied in tlu-owing light uj)on this alrea- 
dy well illununatc'd subject, it is all 1 nspirv to. I am nc»t in favor o\' 
new or mysterious theories, but ha\ e always eonduck-d my exi)cii- 
ments on, and ha\ e been guided by, common sensi' pi'inc-ipUs. 

With this much of an iiiti-oduction 1 propose' to proceed to the 
narration of a few facts in relation to bee culture. 

D. S. CiKAV. 



N. H.Tnylor. -Inb rriuici. K:iiikaUin , III 






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GKAY^S BEE HIYE. 



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/ That the culture nt" the huney bee, has during ages past been 
wrapped in some great mystery, is patent to any one who has read 
any of the many books, treating on this subject. Nearly every in- 
ventor of a patent bee liive, publishes either by hhnself or through 
some friend, a book ; setting forth at lengtli some great mystery that 
he has discoverc^d in the economy of bee culture. Very many of the 
patent hives possess a certain degree of merit, when the design of the 
inventor is fully carried out; but alas! to the great mortitication of 
tlie owner, the hive fails to fultill the great end for w-liich it was 
designed. 

These faihxres too often occur through the negligence or inal)ility 
of the owner to take proper care of the hive, by way of cleaning it 
out, tfec, «fcc. Many j)ersons are incapable of succeeding with most 
of the difterent kinds of liives now in use, from the fact that tliey 
camiot liandle, or work around bees, without getting stung. The 
greatest mystery I know about bee kee])ing is, that some ))ersons 
can handle bees with perfect impunity, while otliers are obliged to 
beat a liasty retreat whenever they come near their hives. Tlie only 
otlier "niystery" is, to keep your bees clean, aJid free from moths, 
and vour stocks strong. 

A l)ee hive that ciuinot lie cleaned out, and in fact that does not 
aftbrd to the operator perfect security from tlie sting of the bees, 
cannot become a great I'avorite with the pnblic genei'ally. A bee 
hive should be so constructed :is to .-.iford the o}»erat()r lull coiiti-ol 
of all its parts, at all seasons <.f the year, without any danger of get- 
ting stung. The ventilation should be complete both fi'om above and 
below. Tlie bee comjiartments should be only large enougli to hold 
a suHicient suj)}>ly of stores lor (he colony to subsist upon during 
the winter months, thereby giving us a larger yield of honey in the 
surj)lus lioney boxes. 'J'hese l>oxes should be so constructed that a 
portion of the honey c:mi be removed without injury to the remaining 
combs, or to the box itself, th.-it we may take therefrom luiney for 
the table as necessity rt^tjuii-cs ; and at tlie sanu' time have it in the 
best ]»ossible CDudition so i'ar as a])]K'arance goes. I repeat: a good 
hive should give the operator perlect control over his bees, in all 
parts of the liive, and at all seasons of the year. 

I am the inventor of a new bee ITne that will sustain the iollowing 
assertions : 

1st. It is the best moth jiroof hive now in use. 

2d. It is a perlect jion-swaimer ^vhen a!iaii":e<l for lliat ]>urpose. 



4 (^KAY'N HKK IIIVK. 

;5rl. Its ventilation is complete, and uinler tin- perfect control of 
the operutor at all times. 

4th. It artbrds perfect security to the operator, from the sting of 
tlie bee, in any handling required, such as cleaning out the hive, ta- 
king away the surplus honey, removing the sAvarms in swarming 
time, &c. 

5th. It does not, in any way, interfere Avith the natural habits 
of the bee. 

6th. It allows you to remove any of the combs in the bee cham- 
ber or surplus honey boxes at any time without the least injiny to 
any of the remaining parts. 

7th. The Cabinet Hive is double in its structure throughovit, there- 
fore insuring a more even temj)erature to the inner boxes, by aftbrd- 
ing ample protection from the sudden changes of temperature. 

8th. The bees Avill swarm on a cold or stormy day in my hive as 
readily as they will in fair weather, the swarming operation taking 
place inside of the hive, therel)y securing a more regulai- increase of 
swarms than can possibly be obtained in the usual manner. So com- 
pletely is the swarming operation under our control that we can ])re- 
vent swarming altogether if we desire. 

!)th. The inside of tlie hive being removable in all its parts, allows 
the operator to take away the new swarms at his leisure, eflectually 
doing away with the labor of watching the bees in swarming season. 
Uy the use of a graduated slidi' that controls the bee enti'ance we 
prevent the cpieen bee from leaving the hive, but the worker bees 
can pass out and in as usual. By tliis arrangement w<' ]>ievent our 
new swarms from " running away." 

10th. From the peculiar construction of the hive by atlbrding pro- 
tection to the bees from excessive heat and cold, by its amj)le ventila- 
tion and its natural adaptation to the requirements of the bees, they 
will gather much more honey than in any single, or out-door hive. 

11th. It is not possible for mice or other vermin to injure the bees, 
or the snow to blockade them; causing destruction by sutibcation, or 
dampness to accumulate within the hive; causing the combs to be- 
come mouldy, or (in severe cold Aveather) frosty, thereby causing 
starvation when there is an abundance of supplies within the hive. 
More bees i)erish in winter from this than any other cause. 



In form my hive resembles a small bureau, complete in all its parts. 
The Cabinet, or Bureau Hive, is intended to be used as a parlor, 
sitting-room, or chamber hive, and is, when well made for that pur- 
pose, really an ornamental piece of furniture, suitable as such for any 
room in the house. It is the most perfect Bee Hive in all its arrange- 
ments that has ever been presented to the public. Where the direc- 
tions, whicli accompany each hive, are fully carried out every hive 
is warranted to fulfill all that is claimed for it. 

The advantage arising from having our be<.'s in some room in the 



GRAY'S BEE HIVE. 5 

house are very many, a low only of which will be mentioned in this 
brief circular. 

AVhen we consider tliat bci'oro the bees can build a cell for any 
purpose whatever, they must have at least eighty degrees of heat 
within their hive, and that if the heat exceeds one hundred degrees' 
the combs are lial)le to fall trom their own Meiglit, we can readily im- 
derstand why it is so necessary that they should be so well protected 
from the extreme degrees of heat and cold. We have our houses 
built according to the most approved method, for securing to us the 
greatest amount of comfort at the least expense. If our house is cold 
we warm it with fire. If too warm we cool it by ventilation and 
shade as much as possible. Our houses are cooler or warmer as our 
conifoit demands. 

The honey bee requires a moi'c even temperature than a human 
being. Nature has provided the bee with the means of creating, to a 
certain extent, within themselves, the required ventilation or warmth, 
as the case may be, in almost any place which they Ijy themselves 
select for a home. In extreme warm Aveather, if we examine a swarm 
of Ijees in a glass hive vve will observe columns of bees on one side 
of the entrance, with their heads all in one direction, while on the 
other side they have their heads in an opposite direction, all making 
their wings move as rapidly as possible, causing a current of air to 
pass through the hive, thus preventing the heat from becoming too 
gi-eat, and the consequent destruction of their home by the melting 
down of their combs. The number thus employed will vary accor- 
ding tt) the greater or less degree of heat within their hive. In cool 
weather, if in the honey season the interior of the hive be too cold, 
the bees will generate a greater degree of heat by clustering in suffi- 
cie)it numbers in that portion of the hive where their labors are being 
carried on, that they may be able to ccmstruct their combs, deposite 
stores or ])rotect the young brood, &c., &c. 

Now these things are so, are facts, and I defy any one to successful- 
ly contradict them, we can readily understand why a swarm of bees 
in a hive pi-operly constructed with a view to warmth and ventila- 
tion, and well cared for, Avill gather much more honey in a season 
than in a common box hive. 

Observe the bee in her more natural and miconfined state, when 
left to select for herself a home. Does she ever enter a dead hollow 
ti-ee having a very thin shell ? Or some empty box that chances to 
be in the vicinity V No. In Avhat kind of a tree do we usually find 
bees, and Avhy do we frequently obtain much larger supplies of honey 
in a bee tree than in a common box hive ? Let us examine the tree 
that has afforded such an abundance of honey. It is a live tree, with 
an abundance of sap flowing through the outside shell. This shell 
is from two to four inches thick ; the cavity occupied by the bees is 
surrounded by this live shell which is a great non-conductor of heat, 
thereby affording to the bees great protection from the excessive 
heat of midsummer or the cold of Avinter. 



(iKAV> in;K IIIN'K. 



But, says one : " 1 would ratlicr have a bee t^um uiade from a liol- 
loAV log than any hive I ever used. It is far preferable to any box 
hive. " AVhy ? Becaiisc the log is much thicker than the boards 
commonly used for hives, besides it is rouiul, and does not })reseni so 
direct a surface to the rays of the sim nor to the ct)ld blasts of Avin- 
ter, and of course thus secures to the interior of the hive at all seasons 
a much more unifonn temperature. The thicker the material used 
for hives the better. Make a eonnnon box hive of two inch plank, 
and one of boards one inch thick; give each an equal chance and see 
if the foregoing assertions are not facts. If such facts do exist, what 
better place could we sele(;t for our bees than a d-svelling house? 
Alway cool in sunnucr and warm in Avinter, the bees have nothing to 
do but gather honey and stores; the thousands that Avould otherwise 
beemjjloycd in ventilating or Avarming their hives can be liberated, 
to Avork for our luxury and pecuniary benefit. 

In vicAV of these facts I am free to assert that my Cabinet Hive 
Avill prove itself far superior to any other ever invented. Even as 
an out-door hive it cannot be excelled. In consequence of its amj^le 
ventilation and double structure it ail'ords comj)lete protection against 
both extremes of heat and cold Avithout the assistance ol the bees. 
The hive being double throughout the bees in the inside com})ai-tment 
are free from many of the incfmveniences Avhich they are necessarily 
subjected to in a single hive, and in the Avinter season, the tempera- 
ture of the imier box being more uniform the bees recpiire much less 
food than they otherAvise would, and the nundx'r of bees lost from 
death by A-ai-ious causes is far less. IJees come out in such a hive 
in the spring in a strong, healthy and vigorous condition. 

During the Avinter ninths bees should not be alloAved to leave tlieir 
hive; they should have ample ventilation from tlie top, that any 
dampness whatever that may accunnilate in the hive may pass (if. 
If not allowed to escape a vapor Avill gather n]K)u the (;ond)s and 
cause them to become mouldy, and in extreme cold Aveather thickly 
coated Avith frost, and in many instances, ice. If the cold Avcather 
continue for several days, or until the bees have consumed all their 
food in the immediate portion of their hive Avhere they have huddled 
together to keep themselves more comfortable, they must die trom 
starvation. If they remove to another portion of their combs for 
sup]>lies they tind theui covered Avith a coating of frost or ice, as the 
case may be, Avhich the bees in their benumbed state are incajiable 
of i)enetrating, thus rendering it im))ossible for Ihem to a])])iopriate 
any of the abundant sui)plies within their hive. Thus we often lu-ar 
i)ersons say : " my bees suffocated,"" or "froze to deatli/' or something 
more ridiculous, when in fact, they died from star\ati(«ii with an 
abundance of honey in their hive. 

Durinti' the brooding season in the early suuuner months, tliey 
should have ventilation only from below. Jl" ujiward ventilation be 
allowed at this season ol" the veai- it will cause a current of air to 



G»IAY'S BEE 111\^^". 7 

pass upward among tlie* brood combs, thereby causing injury by de- 
lay, and in many instances destroying the young brood altogether. 
This is the reason why bees will always if possible, in the earfy part 
of the season, close up any open spaces we have covered with wire 
cloth or something else. They very much dislike a curreijt of air 
directly upon them at any season of the* year. 

The only proper Avay to ventilate a hive is to have it doidjle and 
ventilate from the inner compartment in such a manner as to prevent 
a direct ray of liglit or a current of air to the bees. Ventilation in a 
single hive is folly in the extreme. 

In the construction of yiy Hive, I Iiave. aimed so far as possible to 
adapt it to the natural habits of tlie honey bee ; one great object be- 
ing to aftbrd the greatest ficilities, and most economical hive in poi!:t 
of time and labor to th-e bec ; a hive in Avhich they could produce the 
greatest amount of iiX-com'e with a given outlay of labor and time, as well 
as to allow the oi)ei'ator the greatest facilities for keeping his bees in the 
best possible condition with the least trouble and risk of getthig 
:itung, thereby receiving the largest income from the capital invested. 

Town, County and State Rights for sale on very liberal terms. 

Agents wanted, to whom liberal inducements will be given. 

Any connnuuications addressed to 

.p. S. GKAY & MESSER, 

OXAKGA, IkOC2U01S Co., IlLINOIS, 

Will be pr()]n])tly answei-ed. 






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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



003 359 322 9 



P2.eooiiirn.eiid.aLl:ions- 



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Tliis i> t«i tdtirv tli.il I li 



^ ()NAi;.i*>, ii.i,., .Inly ro, isirn. 

;i\4; cN.-iiirmc'l M'\ I'lnl i>^X4i;iy"s IJee llivis 
' .-iMjI-Jinil till' Uc'C's workiiij^ as well in I'vciy ii*s|)t'ft a5 the most jiaitir- 
nlar cinild drsiro. Tlic colnbs in tlK-^slcat IjijC' aro?^fi tlic'"^iroj(.'c-tioiis 
I'Vorv tiiiU', 1 consitU'r (l«'f.ra<luati-(l SliflT' ibr C^i^iitrolTiiig tht- Lt-e 
"" cntraiici' ti> iiri'M-nt new swarms fniiu niMnini>; .rvyay tlic crownini; 
poiTBl ill l)t'(' liivis. It is l»yti;ir tlKv*)C'st ln\^ for pi'iu-ticuj ust- I ever 
sa\»^ Kvery necessary operaiinii, such as /^YMiiiiiiroiit, takinir away 
surplus honey, reiuoviii;^ ik^v-^w :y^is, ttcLcilfi lie fj^Tfurnicd w itiimit 
••oniinij: in contact with a sin ;j,lc hee. ■HK'-^j;^i4p(^itii>ii is (-(.injilete 
"^ and umlcrthe i>cii\ct c<.ntn'l i>l'^^i!*-t>prr^iV'*rrfjflV seas^jiis. 

■ '' ■ \' y Li: liov CiAiKs. 

V, ^. .. Uiio|.,,lis, III. 

■•'^>^ - ./ 
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This i.'^ t(i ccrtiiy that 1 lia\e one of Cir;j^.i IJee Jlives in use. Tlio 
Ikh's l)nihl tlieir conihs straiii;hi in the KvXiwfy^ JO\^ri- time. Tlie Hive 
is all that is claimetl for it. . I consider ^ flic ^>Bt hive. I cvei- saw. 
I Aoiild Mot])art with tiie <>ne I ha\e foiy;ii^|>ycejl' I conld not cjet 
fniother. T have it in my lionsc and tlw ^m<S^1'1i^' annoyance wliat- 
e\ y. I lliink l)ees will make much nioite"hj>r1ey in it 'than in any 
nther hive I ever saw. *' • . 

I lake ii!v:>.-me in reconini'iidiiiLT it^o t ik' jmhlic^*^' 

^ C- '"^^^ Smith, 

'r ( )n:ir'Li':i,^Iro<|iioi> (',... HI. 

^ — c 7 > 

/).\.y;<>. I,M.., duly 7, lN<i.">. 
This is (o ccrlily thai i h:.\< ic nx^^u^iti (iryrv"-< l>ec Hives, and 
th:i^it lias so far filled tin- hill in rcs]i>t tf/:iil'Tv>*'lii'i<i< I consider 
it #c licst hi.e in Un*.'. ( ''yir 



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